Thursday, January 12, 2017

Yacov had a hard life finally he has pleasure from
Yosef’s being and gifts in his last years before he fades into history. The
Shechina returns to him and he as prophecy of future generations and the
Tribes. He is granted 17 years to learn Torah and teach it to his grandchildren
and great-grandchildren and perhaps the beginning of the next generation.

47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the
days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years. 29
And the time drew near that Israel must die; and he called his son Joseph, and
said unto him: 'If now I have found favor in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy
hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray
thee, in Egypt.

We saw this with Avraham and Eliezer that the Bris was
so holy it was used for swearing.

30 But when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of
Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place.' And he said: 'I will do as thou
hast said.'

Burial me in the cave of the Machpelah next to Leah so
that I can sleep with my fathers.

31 And he said: 'Swear unto me.' And he swore unto him. And Israel
bowed down upon the bed's head.

He swore but as there is no before or after in Torah,
it appears that the swearing was done at the beginning or just after entering
Egypt as this narrative interrupts the train of thought started at the
beginning of our Parsha but is necessary for the continuation of the Parsha for
explaining why Yosef must go to Pharaoh for permission to bury Yacov in
Chevron.

48:1 And it came to pass after these things, that one said to
Joseph: 'Behold, thy father is sick.' And he took with him his two sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And one told Jacob, and said: 'Behold, thy son Joseph
cometh unto thee.' And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

I can’t read each week every comment on every Pasuk but
this gem I received from a lovely candidate for conversion named Stephanie. Vayechi
- Visiting the sick, is a kind of medicine itself. The Gemara states that
certain visitors to the sick can remove one-sixtieth of their illness. Where do
we find this in this week’s Parsha? It states in Bereshit 48:2 'Someone told
Yaacov and said, behold, your son Yosef has come to you, so Yisrael exert
himself and sat up on the bed'. הנה 'Behold' Yaacov was
ill, the numerical value of הנה is 60. After Yosef
arrived, it states that Yaacov sat on המטה
'the bed' and the numerical value of המטה
is 59. (Daily Dose of Torah, Artscroll). What is so amazing is that the
ordinary reality of life becomes the Wisdom of HaShem to teach us for all
times. Something such as visiting the sick can be, B'Ezrat HaShem, elevated to
such heights by simply following and understanding the examples of our
forefathers, it is beautiful beyond words.

3 And Jacob said unto Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz
in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 and said unto me: Behold, I will make
thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples;
and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

The deeds of the fathers are signs for the children.
Yacov is now in Goshen Egypt quite a cart ride from Chevron and knows that he
will not return alive. He has faith that his children will return as a people
to the land which he has been promised. This kept our fathers going in Babylon
and for 19 centuries in Europe, North Africa and elsewhere. Jews appeared in
modern Israel from China, India, Burma, Africa and bound to the land by
tradition and faith.

5 And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of
Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even
as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

You will get the double portion of the first born and
your two sons will have receive a portion like their 11 uncles.

6 And thy issue, that thou beget after them, shall be thine; they
shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

Any more children that Yosef might have will be part of
one of the two tribes.

7 And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me in
the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some way to come unto
Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath--the same is Beth-lehem.'
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said: 'Who are these?' 9 And Joseph said
unto his father: 'They are my sons, whom God hath given me here.' And he said:
'Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.' 10 Now the eyes of
Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near
unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. 11 And Israel said unto
Joseph: 'I had not thought to see thy face; and, lo, God hath let me see thy
seed also.'

Now I can die happy and content for I have seen you
again and your offspring.

12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he fell
down on his face to the earth.

And Joseph took them out from upon his [Jacob’s] knees: After he
(Jacob) had kissed them, Joseph took them off his (Jacob’s) knees to sit them
down, this one to the right and this one to the left, [to make it easier for
his father] to lay his hands upon them and bless them.

Between his knees! Now based on the Medrash that the boys were
born in the years of plenty. Yosef married before the 7 years of plenty and so
Menashe could have been six years old before the famine and Ephraim a little
less. Now there were two years of famine and another 17 years making Menashe up
to 25 years old and Ephraim between 20 to 24 years old.

13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward
Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand,
and brought them near unto him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and
laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon
Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the first-born.

He guided his hands deliberately: Heb. שִׂכֵּל.
As the Targum renders: אַחְכִּמִינוּן,
he put wisdom into them. Deliberately and with wisdom, he guided his hands for
that purpose, and with knowledge, for he knew [full well] that Manasseh was the
firstborn, but he nevertheless did not place his right hand upon him.

15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: 'The God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long
unto this day, 16 the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads;
and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.' 17 And when
Joseph saw that his father was laying his right hand upon the head of Ephraim,
it displeased him, and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from
Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said unto his father: 'Not
so, my father, for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.'

He did not know that Yisrael was blessing by prophecy
and not physically.

19 And his father refused, and said: 'I know it, my son, I know it;
he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; howbeit his younger
brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of
nations.'

He was neither senile nor did he bless him think the person
on Yosef’s right would be the Bechor instead and get confused.

20 And he blessed them that day, saying: 'By thee shall Israel
bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.' And he set Ephraim
before Manasseh. 21 And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Behold, I die; but God will
be with you, and bring you back unto the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I
have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand
of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.'

You are Rachel’s Bechor and therefore deserve the
Bechor and two tribes.

49:1
And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: 'Gather yourselves together, that I
may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. 2 Assemble
yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

Yacov now blesses the tribes.

49:33
And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into
the bed, and expired, and was gathered unto his people.

Yacov’s soul remained in his body as long as he could bless his
children.

50:1 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and
kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his
father. And the physicians embalmed Israel.

The whole process of making a mummy is described. The
chemicals and herbs used are not mentioned specifically.

3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the
days of embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him threescore and ten days.

And forty days were completed for him: They completed for him
the days of his embalming, when forty days were completed for him. And the
Egyptians wept over him for seventy days: Forty [days] for embalming and thirty
for weeping, because a blessing had come to them when he arrived-the famine
ended and the waters of the Nile increased. — [From Bereshith Rabbathi , Targum
Jonathan]

4 And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke unto
the house of Pharaoh, saying: 'If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak,
I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying: 5 My father made me swear, saying:
Lo, I die; in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there
shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my
father, and I will come back.'

Which I dug for myself: Heb. כָּרִיתִי. According to its
simple meaning, it (כָּרִיתִי) is similar to“If a
man digs (יִכְרֶה)” (Exod. 21:33) (Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel).
Its midrashic interpretation also fits the language [of the text here] [viz.,
that it is] like קָנִיתִי, I bought. Rabbi
Akiva said,“When I went to [some] cities by the sea, they called selling (מְכִירָה) כִּירָה ” (Rosh Hashanah 26a). [Similarly, it may
have been used for“buying.”] Another midrashic interpretation is that it is a
term derived from כְּרִי, a stack, [meaning]
that Jacob took all the silver and gold that he had brought from Laban’s house
and made it into a stack. He said to Esau, “Take this for your share in the
cave” (Tanchuma Buber, Vayishlach 11; Gen. Rabbah 100:5). See Rashi on 46: 6.

6 And Pharaoh said: 'Go up, and bury thy father, according as he
made thee swear.' 7 And Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up
all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the
land of Egypt, 8 and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his
father's house; only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they
left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and
horsemen; and it was a very great company.

Basically with all the chariots and horsemen, Yosef and
his brothers could not flee Egypt and the soldiers would guarantee their
return.

…12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them. 13
For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of
the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, for a possession
of a burying-place, of Ephron the Hittite, in front of Mamre. 14 And Joseph
returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to
bury his father, after he had buried his father.

The importance of a burial place is very important and
even a family burial area. This week my wife’s uncle passed away at the age of
90. He designated that he wanted to be buried in Petach Tikva near his parents
even though he lived slightly north of Haifa. There is great importance to this.

…17 So shall ye say unto Joseph: Forgive, I pray thee now, the
transgression of thy brethren, and their sin, for that they did unto thee evil.
And now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of
thy father.' And Joseph wept when they spoke unto him.

He wept because they suspected him and also because
they feared him despite his righteous nature and behavior towards them.

18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and
they said: 'Behold, we are thy bondmen.' 19 And Joseph said unto them: 'Fear
not; for am I in the place of God? 20 And as for you, ye meant evil against me;
but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much
people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not; I will sustain you, and your little
ones.' And he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them. …24 And Joseph said
unto his brethren: 'I die; but God will surely remember you, and bring you up
out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob.'

Yosef’s burial in Egypt was like the Genghis Khan
Story. The Egyptians dug a channel for the river to run over his grave so that
he could not be found and his merit would protect them.

25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying: 'God
will surely remember you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.'

The Medrash has stories of Moshe using the DIVINE NAME
to get Yosef’s coffin to float on the river. So that his bones could be taken
to Eretz Yisrael.

26 So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they
embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

How to turn IDF Officer Candidates into fleeing without
acting. It was a female soldier, Lt. Maya Peled who ordered two males to join
her in shooting after the slower, older civilian Eytan Rund 33 or 35 with a
pistol shot at the terrorist plus a 40 to 45-year-old guide after that a few
soldiers joined in.

I cannot fully blame the 18-19 year olds they are
mixed up also by conflicting PC orders most of them are the geek squad units.
On one hand they are trained to follow orders and want a career on the other
hand they are our first line of defense. However, the upper echelons of the
army and the trial of the poor soldier who shot the terrorist wearing a jacket
in a heat wave because he saw an arm move (could be a reaction, body shaking before
death or even movement of rigamortis as it becomes stiff). The soldier should
have had a trial for shooting without permission or order from his commander of
a terrorist who came to kill soldiers. He could have gotten anything up to 30
or 60 days in jail at the most. But the Politically Correct politicians and the
left wanted to gain power and fear and with that they succeeded.

Well they picked a leftist judge who interpreted
every action opposite what a person with common horse sense would interpret for
one could take her words to the right for the same action. The result was
bodies trapped under a truck of some soldiers that might have survived the
initial attack some of the dead might only have been injured but the truck
drove over two lovely young girls for a second time under the wheels.

ISN’T IT TIME THAT PEOPLE PUT THEIR BRAINS IN GEAR –
AND I AM NOT EVEN SAYING WHAT THE TORAH TELLS US BUT JUST COMMON HORSE SENSE.

When the
Rebbe-to-be, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Horodok/ Vitebsk was a young boy, he was
tutored in Torah by the Great Maggid of Mezrich, Rabbi DovBer (successor to the
Baal Shem Tov). By his tenth year, the child had already amazed all who knew
him with his Talmudic knowledge and acuity. The Maggid was very fond of him.

One Shabbat day, after
the main meal, the Maggid spied young Menachem striding speedily back and
forth, in high spirits. The Maggid called out to him:

"Mendel, how
many pages of Gemara (Talmud) did you complete today?"

"Six,"
replied the child prodigy happily.

Gazing in another
direction, the Maggid spoke as if to himself. "If from six pages of Gemara
his hat slips to a rakish angle on his head, how many pages will he need to
learn until it falls off his head completely?" Then he went into his room
and closed the door.

Young Mendel
realized that he had gone too far, and began to weep profusely. He ran to his
teacher's door and, while knocking strongly, cried out through his tears,
"Please let me in, my Master and Teacher, and advise me what to do. I
understand now that I my successful studies have made me overly proud."

"Don't
worry," the Maggid assured the boy. "In a few days you and I will
travel together to our great master, the Baal Shem Tov (Besht), and he
will direct each of us regarding how we should conduct ourselves."

On Tuesday the
Maggid and Menachem Mendel set out, finally reaching Mezhibuz, where the Baal
Shem Tov lived, on Friday. After securing lodging, the Maggid hurried to the
Besht's house to present himself to his Rebbe. Young Menachem Mendel, however,
stayed behind; he wished to bathe and carefully comb his hair. As a boy, his
neatness distinguished him further from his age-mates. Later, the Rebbe
retained the trait of being meticulous about his personal appearance.

When the Maggid
arrived, the Besht was already standing in his place in the front of the shul,
prepared to lead the joyous prayers for receiving the Shabbat in mid-afternoon
as was his custom to do. Nevertheless, he delayed starting for two whole hours,
until the boy arrived. He said not a word to him, however, throughout the
entire Shabbat.

Only on Saturday
night, after the havdala ceremony concluding the Shabbat, did the Baal
Shem Tov acknowledge young Menachem Mendel. Drawing on his pipe, he called
Mendel over and told him a long, involved story. The tale hinted at all the
events in the life of Rabbi Menachem-Mendel of Horodok/Vitebsk, from the day he
was born until the day he would pass away in the Holy Land, in Tiberias.

The Maggid was
present during the telling of the story, as was another of the main disciples
of the Besht, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye. Afterwards, one of them said he
understood the whole story while the other said that he understood just half.
It is no longer known which man made which statement. Young Mendel himself said
that he understood only until that day.

Later that evening,
the Besht told the Maggid that the boy appeared to be genuinely humble.
Henceforth, Rabbi Menachem-Mendel would sign his correspondence, "One who
is truly lowly."

Years later, when
Menachem Mendel reached full adulthood, it became clear that by then he
understood the whole story. Once, while still living in Horodok, he became
seriously ill. The Jews of his town, the entire province of Lvov, and the
surrounding areas were in tears. It seemed imminent that their holy rebbe and
leader would be recalled to Heaven. The anguished wails of those in the room
stirred him to consciousness.

Said Rabbi
Menachem-Mendel to them: "You needn't worry. Long ago, our master, the
Baal Shem Tov, told me a tale. From that story, I know there is still a period
of my life when I will be living in the Holy Land."

And so it happened.
The Rebbe recovered fully, and in 1778 he led the "Chassidic Aliyah"
to Israel. On the way out of Europe, the Rebbe made a point of stopping in Polnoye,
in order to visit Rabbi Yaakov-Yosef (also known as "the Toldos"). He
took a room in a local inn, and, after tidying himself, removing his gartel
(chasidic sash) and lighting a long pipe, set out to see the Rabbi.

When the local
Chasidim saw that he was going to their great rabbi without a belt and smoking
a pipe, they became afraid for him. "Don't you know that the Rabbi is very
strict in matters of appearance? We pity you. Anyone who comes before him with
such ostentatiousness exposes himself to danger!"

The Vitebsker paid
them no attention. To the surprise of the Chasidim, the tzadik welcomed him
with warmth and respect. After exchanging greetings, the host asked his guest,
"Where are you up to in the story [I heard the Baal Shem Tov tell you when
you were a boy]?"

The younger man
sighed. "I'm already more than halfway through."

"And do you
understand that the story hints that you would come to visit me?"

"I know, I
know. That is why I traveled by this particular route, in order to see the
Grand Rabbi."

They then conversed
for several hours, forging a bond of affection. When the Vitebsker took his
leave, the Toldos escorted him all the way to his lodgings.

Later that evening,
the followers of Rabbi Yaakov-Yosef asked him, "What is so special about
that young man who came before you with such arrogance, without a belt and
smoking a long pipe? Why, he even has silver-embroidered laces on his
shoes!"

Rabbi Yaakov-Yosef
turned to them, saying, "Let me tell you a parable. There was once a king
who possessed a large, perfectly formed pearl, worth a small fortune. The king
was worried that because of the great value of the gem, the cleverest of
thieves would come to steal it, and would succeed in finding it no matter how well
he hid it. So what did the king do? He hid the jewel in the outhouse, confident
that it would never occur to anyone that such a precious item would be hidden
in such a despicable location.

"That's the way
it is with Rabbi Menachem-Mendel. He is lowly in his own eyes and as humble as
can be. But he is concerned that if his clothing or appearance were to reflect
his humility, such a display could nourish the 'other side.' So he conceals his
humility in a repulsive place: a prideful appearance!"

Biographical notes (in order of
birth):
Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer [of blessed memory: 18 Elul 5458- 6 Sivan 5520 (Aug.
1698 - May 1760 C.E.)], the Baal Shem Tov ["Master of the Good
Name"-often referred to as "the Besht" for short], a
unique and seminal figure in Jewish history, revealed his identity as an
exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 5494 (1734 C.E.), and
made the until-then underground Chasidic movement public. He wrote no books,
although many works claim to contain his teachings. One available in English is
the excellent annotated translation of Tzava'at Harivash, published by Kehos.

Rabbi Dov Ber [of
blessed memory: c.5460 - 19 Kislev 5533 (c.1700- Dec. 1772 C.E.)], the son of
Avraham and Chava, known as the Maggid of Mezritch, succeeded his master, the
Baal Shem Tov, as the head of the Chasidic movement. Most of the leading
Chasidic dynasties originate from his disciples and his descendents. The
classic anthologies of his teachings are Likutei Amarim and Torah Ohr (combined
by Kehas Publishing as Maggid Devorav l'Yaakov), and Ohr HaEmmes.

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef
HaKohain of Polnoye [5470 - 24 Tishrei 5542** (1710 - Oct. 1781 C.E.)] was one
of the earliest and closest rabbinical disciples of the Baal Shem Tov. He was
the first person to author a book of Chassidic teachings, titled Toldos Yaakov
Yosef, which had a revolutionary effect upon publication. Subsequently, he published
two other chasidic classics, Ben Porat Yosef and Ketonet Passim. These three
books were the earliest chief printed sources for teachings in the name of the
Baal Shem Tov. He is often referred to as the "Baal HaToldos," after
his first and most famous work.
* Not certain, some say 5544 (1783) and some say 5551 (1790).

The tour guide who opened fire on the terrorist claims
that because of the recent trial accusing the soldier of manslaughter, the
soldiers who were younger, more agile and with better weapons withheld fire in
the beginning (from fear of trial?). It was only after a female officer, Maya
Peled organized them to attack did they open fire. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4904826,00.html

What CNN is now doing
after being called out -finally- by Donald Trump is the classic Talmudic dictum
about the nature of the pig. The pig sticks his hind legs out for all to
see that they're cloven hoofs. Thereby he's announcing that he's a
"Kosher" animal. Problem is he doesn't ruminate. As such, although he
has one of the two signs of kashrut he's still NOT KOSHER AT ALL!!!

As hard as CNN tries
to differentiate themselves from Buzzfeed and demonstrate their
"Kosher" feet and honest media credentials they're as Trief as a pig.

Ye, they didn't report
on the actual content of the salacious material within the report but they did
report that there is salacious material that is unsubstantiated which they're
not reporting on until they can substantiate it.

This difference is
really a non-difference. Buzzfeed lacks both kosher signs and CNN lacks one.
Both are still equally non-Kosher. Not only that but what CNN has done is even
worse. A non-kosher animal accepts its non-Kosher. It doesn't try to prove
something it is not. A pig says "look at my cloven hoofs" I think I
am kosher. In other words, CNN is not going to show you the details because
it's a real media corporation and is not fake. But it's gonna tell you it's
there. Keep that in mind. It's salacious and let that percolate. That does even
more damage.

Yet in their
disingenuous attempts they now act as if they did nothing wrong. Something they
would never have done with Obama. Not only would they've not done it they'd
actually defend Obama. So long as the details are not substantiated.

So folks ignore the
CNN complaints and excuses. They're crying like stuck pigs now that they've
clearly been caught in promulgating fake news. And they'll do everything they
can to deflect and lie. But then it's CNN and it's their fakery that trumps all
else.

The coffee in the army they say is mighty fine
there is no land of Oz and there is no Palestine. From Barry Shaw:

In
advance of the Paris Conference we have obtained the text and the terms that
will be demanded by the delegates. They include;

-It makes a clear commitment to “two states,
Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security”.

-It insists that there must be an end to “the
occupation that began in 1967”.

-It
calls on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to publicly renew their commitment to
a two state solution.

-It also calls on Israeli and Palestinian
leaders to publicly renounce any of their officials that do not support a two
state solution.

-It states that the 70 nations gathered in
Paris only recognize the June 4th, 1967 borders, and that the only future
changes to those borders they will recognize will come as the result of
negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. And just like UN
Security Council Resolution 2334, Jerusalem is specifically mentioned. So
according to this document, Israel does not own the Wailing Wall, the Temple
Mount, a single inch of the West Bank or a single inch of East Jerusalem.

-The summary statement will also call on all
countries to clearly distinguish between the State of Israel and territories
that would belong to the Palestinians based upon the 1967 borders in all of
their dealings.

Good Shabbos to all. This issue is dedicated to my wife’s
uncle Hershel Zvi Steinmetz who passed away this week at the age of 90. Among
other things served the Gur Chassidic Community in the north of Israel,